Something to Believe In
by iamdaemon
Summary: Rogue's squad finds itself investigating a new organization that promises to give its followers nothing but happiness. Does this happiness come at a price though? Is this new faith everything it seems to be?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or any of the names associated with Marvel or any of the pop culture references I make herein. This is just for fun and I am getting no monetary gain from this.

Rating: Teen for some violence, maybe some language and death later on.

Author's Note: This is the first chapter of my story. It is a random adventure of Rogue's new squad. I hope to delve into the characters and play around and have some fun. It might lean slightly to a Rogue based story but I'm sure things will even out. but I hope you enjoy it and please review. I need the self-esteem boost.

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_Chapter 1_

**Pacific Coast Highway**

A red jeep with the top off roared along the road that snaked its way beside the beach. There were two girls in the jeep. The driver had long black hair that was billowing in the wind. Her caramel skin glistened with a mixture of sweat and tanning oil. She slammed the clutch and shifted into a higher gear seamlessly. Her passenger had short blonde hair and her knees were bent so that her feet were on the edge of her seat. She was resting her head on her arm that was propped on the edge of the door. The radio was blasting the latest club smash hit.

They both laughed as they whipped around a curve, leaning with the force. The sun was descending toward the horizon and bathing the ocean and land in a vibrant orange. The driver rolled her head slightly to enjoy the breeze. She noticed in her rear-view mirror that a police motorcycle had suddenly popped into view behind her. The siren was wailing, barely audible over the music and the wind, and the lights on the bike were flashing.

"Busted," the driver said.

"Don't worry," the passenger replied.

"We better not be late," the driver added as she turned on her signal light and began to pull over onto the shoulder of the road.

The driver came to a stop and adjusted her seat belt. Her friend in the passenger seat turned to see the cop pulling in behind them. Neither of them looked particularly worried.

The police officer stepped off of his motorcycle. He strolled up to the jeep and inspected the tags and called the license number in to his dispatcher through the microphone on his shoulder. He approached the driver of the jeep. She pushed her sunglasses up onto her forehead. "Is there a problem officer?" she asked.

"I need to see your license and registration please," the officer requested.

The driver handed the items over. "I'm pretty sure I was speeding…" the driver said and then peered at the officer's name tag, "Officer Deere."

"You were going over the speed limit by thirty-five miles per hour. That's classified as reckless driving. Where are you two headed in such a hurry?" he asked looking into the jeep.

The driver peered up at the officer with her large brown eyes. The passenger was paying him no mind. She had become completely absorbed in the act of painting her toes. "Nowhere special," the driver replied. "Just a couple of girls with nothing better to do that feel the wind in our hair on a Friday."

It was the officer's turn to not pay attention. He was focused on the passenger. She had pulled her leg up to blow her toenails dry. Her leg pressed against her ample chest. She then stretched her leg straight into the air and massaged her leg as if rubbing away a cramp. She then turned her head to face the policeman. She peeked over her sunglasses at him. "Hi," she said with a grin.

A smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. "I'm afraid I have to issue you a citation," he said trying to regain his composure.

The passenger rose up from her seat and leaned across to the driver. The driver was surprised by this and gasped as she pressed backward in her seat. The passenger placed her hands on the edge of the door and propped herself up to be directly in the face of the office. "You don't have to do that, do you?" she asked.

Two minutes later the girls were continuing up the coast with the cop on his motorcycle disappearing in the opposite direction. "You enjoy being a whore don't you?" the driver asked.

"What? I didn't _do_ anything to him. I just talked him into not writing that ticket," the passenger explained.

"That was certainly some talking you did. I'm going to have dreams, no nightmares, about some of those things that you were talking about doing," the driver replied.

"You are just a prude," the passenger said and curled her feet under her on the seat.

The girls pulled onto a dirt road off the highway and toward an outcropping of rocks. They could see the bonfire roaring on the beach and the smells of smoke and roasting hotdogs were drifting in the air.

The girls pulled next to some other vehicles and climbed out of the jeep. They each grabbed a case of beer and began to walk toward the bonfire. As they approached, a well defined young man stepped away from the others and walked toward them. "Carry, Roxanne! We thought you wouldn't show up!" he called out.

Carry, the driver, and Roxanne, the passenger, sauntered over to the man and kissed him on the cheek simultaneously. The man wrapped his arms around their shoulders and walked between them back to the bonfire. The girls placed the beer next to a cooler where a young man began to take the bottles out of the cartons and shove them into the ice.

"You know we wouldn't stand you up Matt," Roxxane replied as the three of them nestled onto a blanket near the fire.

The last edge of the sun dipped below the horizon but the night hadn't settled over dusk yet. Roxanne and Carry each opened up a beer and sat with Matt and listened to the music that someone else was playing on a guitar nearby. Soon another man walked up to them. "Where's Craig?" Matt asked.

The man shrugged and said, "I was, uh, actually needing to talk to you about that Matt."

Matt rose and went to talk with the newcomer away from the rest of the crowd. We thought you were going to be late," another girl said to Carry and Roxanne.

"We got pulled over," Carry explained.

"But I took care of it," Roxanne laughed. "There isn't a_ CHiPs_ reject alive that can resist my feminine wiles."

The other girl laughed and gave Roxanne a high five to which Carry rolled her eyes. Matt returned and took his place between the two girls. "What's wrong?" Carry asked.

"Craig! That's what," Matt replied angrily. "He skipped out on us. He has five hundred doses of Mutant Growth Hormone and went to the city to make a name for himself. He wants to become as powerful as the Pride in their glory days."

Roxanne handed Matt another beer. She leaned forward and said to Carry, "You know what this means?"

"Yes," Carry replied.

"We're only catching ten drug dealers instead of eleven tonight," she said.

Matt took a drink from his beer. He had heard what Roxanne said but it didn't register in his mind immediately. He jerked his head to face her. He was going to demand what she meant by that but now Roxanne didn't look the same. She was no longer tan and blonde. She had blue skin and bright red hair. She was also holding a large pistol.

"Matty; You've been had," she said.

"Cops!" someone yelled and then the beach party broke out into total chaos.

People began running about trying to escape. A large sand dune shimmered and disappeared. It had only been an illusion. Where the dune had been, three figures now stood. They were the X-Men known as Rogue, Lady Mastermind and Iceman. They each rushed forward to apprehend the drug dealers.

Iceman rode forth on his ice slide. "You know, the X-Men should get a reality show like _Cops_. Though, we might be less _Cops_ and more _Reno: 911_," he said as he froze a man's legs together causing him to fall face-down on the sand.

Mystique, who had been Roxanne just a moment earlier, came forward holding Matt by his hair. "I got this one," she said.

"Since when do the X-Men care about a bunch of dumb pushers?" Matt asked wincing with the pain of Mystique pulling his hair tightly.

"Since you started peddlin' instant death to de-powered mutants lookin' to regain their abilities," Rogue growled with fire glowing from her hands.

Across the beach, Karima Shapandar, who had been known as Carry, was flying after a young man who was trying to escape to his vehicle. Without so much as a flick of her wrist, an electrified rod extended from her arm. She jabbed the man in the back. The electricity rendered him unconscious. Another man who had been hiding nearby swung a broken bottle at Karima. Her hyper-sensitive reflexes let her catch the man by the arm and fling him into the side of the jeep that she had arrived at the party in. The man crumpled to the sand in a heap.

**Minutes Later**

The X-Men were gathered around the party-goers they had apprehended. There were twenty-five people in all, including the ten dealers. "Where is your friend Craig now?" Rogue demanded.

"I swear I don't know," the young man whimpered.

"I think he knows," Mystique cooed as she reverted back to her guise of Roxanne and held up her pistol. "Do you need help remembering? How does it feel to know that we infiltrated your drug ring for over two weeks? You people took us in because we were women."

Mystique pressed the pistol firmly against the man's cheek. He cried out in fear. A large wet stain was growing on the man's khaki shorts. "Pathetic; the human wet himself!" Mystique laughed.

Mystique was grabbed roughly from behind and whipped about. She leveled her gun with her attacker's face. Mystique found Rogue gripping her shoulder tightly and flames were radiating from her. "Anna! I'm sorry!" Mystique gasped lowering the pistol quickly.

"Not the first time ya tried to kill me," Rogue said. "The X-Men don't torture."

Rogue shoved Mystique aside and quickly pulled off her glove. She briefly stroked the man's cheek. She immediately knew what Craig looked like and his last known whereabouts. "Everyone back to the _Conquistador_. We're goin' to L.A. An' Mystique; for the last time. Ah don't evah want you to call me that again. Those days are long since gone. Iceman, put these kids on lock down 'til the Five-Oh get here."

Iceman set to encasing the criminals and their friends in ice. Mystique watched as Rogue grabbed Lady Mastermind's hand and flew out over the ocean toward the _Conquistador_. She remembered a time when her little Anna said that she was the greatest mother in the whole world. That wasn't that long ago in the grand scheme of things.

Karima was about to launch into the air when Mystique called to her. "You should count yourself lucky that my daughter is the leader of this squad because if she wasn't, I'd have you in pieces for talking to me like that," she threatened.

"I don't think she wants to be any part of your family," Karima replied.

"What would a sentinel know about family?" Mystique scoffed.

Iceman cruised up on his ice slide and asked, "You ready to get out of here and head to the land of movie stars and plastic surgery?"

Mystique nodded and wrapped her arm around Iceman's neck. Together they slid on the ice over the ocean's surface. Karima lingered on the beach for one more moment. She balled up her fists and looked down at her feet in the sand. She shook her head and then flew in a direct course for the _Conquistador_.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or any of the names associated with Marvel or any of the pop culture references I make herein. This is just for fun and I am getting no monetary gain from this.

Rating: Teen for some violence, maybe some language and death later on.

Author's Note: I'd like to thank 1TheScorpion2, RoguefanAM, and Kid Omega for their reviews. Also a shout out to the guys at TWN for reading as well. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. Also, I've never been to any of these places in California so don't hold it against me. If you see any glaring mistakes let me know. Suggestions and reviews are welcome.

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__Chapter 2_

Name: Craig Colletti.

Age: Twenty-four.

Hair: Blonde.

Eyes: Hazel.

Occupation: College drop-out.

Distinguishing Marks: Both ears are pierced and one eyebrow ring.

That was part of the dossier that Cable was able to assemble from the Infonet using Craig's police records the next morning. The members of Rogue's team were standing in the galley of the _Conquistador_ with a copy of the file. A photograph of Craig had been attached the file. It was a photo from when he was arrested after a bar fight. His face was swollen and both eyes had been blacked. "This guy ain't a criminal mastermind. All these charges are pretty small fry criteria," Cannonball said flipping through some of the criminal charges that Craig had been leveled with.

"From the information we gathered, Craig has five hundred doses of Mutant Growth Hormone. This batch, as we know, is impure and is extremely dangerous and Los Angeles has one of the highest populations of de-powered mutants in the country," Cable explained.

"If any number of ex-mutants get a hold of some of this MGH, well, Ah don't know if L.A. is ready for that kind of party," Rogue continued. "Besides, as we've seen, when a de-powered mutant comes down off the high, the result is usually deadly."

"So we're going to scour the city in hopes of finding him before he can sell the drugs," Lady Mastermind surmised. "Be a lot easier with a capable telepath."

Cable lowered his dossier. "You'd rather be back in a coma, your body slowly wasting away? You don't have to use your brain to put someone in a coma. Brute force works just the same," Cable threatened.

"Seeing is believing," Lady Mastermind sneered tapping her temple implying to her illusionary powers.

"This ends now. We're goin' to split into teams to search Craig's past hot-spots," Rogue ordered. "Cable already confirmed that he wasn't taken in by the police so he and Mystique will go to his gang's home turf. Regan and Bobby will search the suburbs where he grew up, see if his family has heard from him."

" The 'burb-brat wanted to grow up into a hood-rat," Iceman quipped.

"Sam and Ah'll check out the last address he was known to live at. Karima, you're gonna stay and guard Sabretooth," Rogue said finishing up.

"I'm to guard him?" Karima asked.

"Sam's already guarded him for a couple weeks straight. Plus, Ah trust your reflexes," Rogue explained. "We'll check in every two hours. Let's hope Mr. Colletti hasn't got too much of a head start on us."

**Later**

"How's 'bout a game of cards?" Sabretooth asked through the door of his makeshift cell as Karima arrived to check on him.

He could hear her through the large steel door. He could also smell her scent though the vents that the X-Men had made for air holes.

"I don't think so," Karima replied.

"'fraid you'd lose?" he said coyly. "I'd let you win just to have some company."

Karima stood on the other side of the door and said nothing. She knew that Creed was just trying to raise her ire to get her to make a mistake. She would wait a few more minutes and then go to the bridge; the others would be reporting in soon. In his adamantium chains, Creed wasn't going to be going anywhere. "Anyway, what'd you do to get stuck babysitting? Normally it's Cornbread," Sabretooth said.

"_Cannonball_, is out doing reconnaissance. Rogue chose me because she knows I won't be tricked by you," the sentinel replied.

"Yep, machines only do as they're programmed, right?" Creed asked.

"I'm as human as any of the others," Karima said.

"Right, just look past the gadgets, wires, and sparks and you're Grade A meat," Sabretooth said casually as he pressed his hand against the door of the cell, feeling carefully.

"With minimal effort I can activate those nano-sentinels in your body. I can activate them quickly or I can activate them slowly. Your healing factor might be able to deal with them; then again it might not," she warned.

"That's what I like about you K. You make a good threat when you want to, and I know you're cold and soulless enough to back it up," he said grinning, he knew that he was pushing buttons with her.

_Soulless?_ Karima wondered. She might have been mostly machine but she definitely wasn't soulless. Was she as cold as Creed implied? She'd show him. She drew her fist back quickly and the set of armor piercing blades extended. With her infrared sensors she could see the heat-image of Sabretooth pressed against the door. She could stab right through and kill him. But wait; that is exactly what he wanted her to do. He wanted to be freed of the cell.

Karima lowered her hand and retracted the blades back into her arm. _Soulless?_ She thought again.

Creed smiled as he heard Sentinel walk away. He could be a subtle beast when it served his purposes. He examined the chains around his wrists. He was confident that he wouldn't have them on for too much longer.

**Torrance**

Mystique and Cable were crouching behind a wall in a dilapidated house. Currently they were being shot at by some of the rival dealers that had found out that Craig was trying to carve out his place in the drug community. When Cable and Mystique asked about Craig's whereabouts the situation had gone south, as the expression goes.

"I think they're past the point of negotiations," Mystique said as she loaded her pistol with another magazine.

A barrage of bullets tore through the wall above them, raining plaster onto Cable's head. His left eye flashed brightly. He leaned around the edge of the wall and quickly fired several rounds. The bullets struck the gang members in the legs or in the hand; non-lethal hits to remove them from the fight.

"There's only two left up on their feet," Cable said.

Mystique smiled and held up a small cylinder. She pulled the pin out and hurled the device around the corner to where the shooters were positioned. When it came to rest, thick smoke came streaming from the grenade. The two dealers began coughing and quickly lost their bearings.

"Deno! Deno!" one called out groping for his friend in the haze.

"Right here," Deno replied coming toward him in the smoke.

"That's not me Rod," came a voice from behind.

Rod whirled around to find another Deno approaching through the smoke. "What the hell?" Rod demanded.

"It's a mutant trick!" the first Deno shouted.

"Shoot him!" shouted the second Deno.

Rod looked back and forth between the two Denos. They looked exactly the same. There was no way to tell which was which by just looking at them. "Deno, where did we go to school at?" Rod asked.

"We dropped out…" the second Deno shouted quickly as the first Deno leaped up and dealt a kick to Rod's neck.

"Damn muties!" the real Deno yelled and fired several shots at the fake Deno, who evaded them all easily.

Deno was suddenly rushed from the side by Cable. He grabbed the gunner up by his wrists and wrested the gun away without any difficulty.

"The muties have some questions for you," Mystique said coming closer as she dropped her disguise.

**Reseda**

"I feel ridiculous," Iceman said. "They'll never talk to us looking like this."

"Do you have any other suggestions? This is non-threatening and probably won't raise too many questions," Lady Mastermind explained.

"We are so going to get sued," he said rubbing his forehead.

"I don't know. Do Jehovah's Witnesses sue imposters?" she asked.

Lady Mastermind and Iceman were approaching the house where Craig's parents lived in the suburbs. Lady Mastermind was projecting an illusion around them to disguise their appearance. To anyone that saw them, they were just a couple of average, everyday Jehovah's Witnesses.

The strolled up to the door and rang the bell. After a few moments a young man that looked much like Craig answered the door. He was wearing a bandana and a ball cap cocked to the side. His baseball jersey was oversized and hanging from the boy's slender frame. He wore a scowl on his face. It must have been Craig's younger brother. Sounds of video games and shouts from other boys echoed through the house. "If Craig sent you, we already told him that we didn't want to join," the boy said sourly leaning on the door.

Regan and Bobby looked toward each other. "Riiight," Iceman said.

"What are you waiting for? Get offa our property," the boy said.

"Well you see, Craig didn't show up at our…bake sale and we were wondering if he was here," Iceman lied quickly.

"Check over at his place," the boy suggested.

"I just totally owned your ass with that chainsaw, man!" another boy shouted from within the house.

"Damn, I can't believe I missed it, yo," Craig's brother shouted to his friends as he slammed the door in the face of the two Jehovah's Witnesses leaving them standing on the porch.

"Those boys need to get laid," Regan sighed as she turned away from the door and headed back to the car.

"Maybe Rogue and Sam are having better luck," Bobby hoped.

**Huntington Park**

Rogue and Sam had picked the lock to Craig Colletti's apartment when there was no answer at the door. They stood in the small flat and noticed that there was something peculiar. "This is a little odd?" Sam asked.

"It is. All the memories Ah pulled from that dealer showed that this apartment had a nice set up," Rogue replied.

"It looks like he lives here and looks like he doesn't at the same time," Sam added.

The apartment was nearly bare of all furniture. In the living area there was absolutely no furniture. There were indentions in the carpet, however, from where a sofa, a coffee table and an entertainment center had been. "This carpet is still pretty packed down. The furniture was moved recently," Cannonball called out.

Rogue was in the kitchen where there was a table and one chair. She stood at the sink and saw a single bowl and spoon. The milk and cereal crumbs in the bottom of the bowl hadn't completely dried. "Someone was definitely here this mornin'," Rogue said.

"Come 'ere," Sam called out from the bedroom.

Rogue walked in and found some blankets on the floor. There was no bed so he must have been sleeping on the floor. There were just a few clothes stacked neatly along the wall. Sam was standing with a blue piece of paper in his hand. It was a flyer for something named the Order of the Highest Light. "There's more in there," Sam said pointing to a large box filled nearly full with the flyers.

Rogue pulled out a handful of the flyers. There was an address and meeting time information listed. "This sounds like a help-group, maybe," Rogue said after she read over the paper. "Ah think now we should hit the streets. We could be hours if we wait 'round here," Rogue said as she folded up the flyers.

They left the apartment complex and emerged onto the street. They walked quietly for a while until Cannonball spoke. "How're you holdin' up?" he asked.

"Fine. Bit thirsty though," Rogue replied.

"I didn't mean…"

"Ah know exactly what you meant, Sam," Rogue said cutting him off quickly. "Besides Remy tryin' to kill me and Gus turnin' out to be born with a foot-in-mouth mutation; Ah'm dandy."

"You'll get through," he said comfortingly.

That was common advice that everyone seemed to be giving her lately. Since Remy left and joined with Apocalypse, and tried to kill her no less, and things didn't quite work out with Gus everyone kept telling her that things would start looking up. It was getting old fast and she didn't want to talk about it any more. Rogue had started to think that the whole affair could have been avoided if she had lost her powers on M-Day. Remy would never have left and things could have worked out for them, for real this time.

They walked for a while more. It seemed as if Rogue was walking on auto-pilot. She didn't really notice anything even though she was supposed to be searching for Craig Colletti. She was lost in her memories. She didn't fully register anything around her until they came to a stop near a fountain. It was in the midst of a flower garden in the city. "Rogue, is that him?" Cannonball asked jarring her back to reality.

Rogue looked and saw three men standing together handing out blue flyers. They were each wearing a white polo-style shirt and black slacks. One of them was definitely Craig Colletti.

Sam and Rogue moved toward him quickly. "Craig! Hey sugah, what's goin' on?" Rogue called out.

Sure enough, Craig turned and faced them. "Yes?" he asked, his face clearly showed that he didn't recognize the people that seemed to know him.

"Been a while buddy," Sam said warmly.

The two X-Men were right in front of him when one of the other men stretched out a flyer for them to take. "Hello friends. The Order of the Highest Light…" the man stopped in the middle of his recitation. "Rogue?" he asked.

Rogue turned from Craig to see who was addressing her. "Do…do I know you?" she asked.

"It's me, Justice. You don't remember me. You ruined my life," he explained.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or any of the names associated with Marvel or any of the pop culture references I make herein. This is just for fun and I am getting no monetary gain from this.

Rating: Teen for some violence, maybe some language and death later on.

Author's Note: I'd like to thank RoguefanAM, and 1thescorpion2. Also a shout out to the guys at TWN for reading as well. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. If you see any glaring mistakes let me know. Suggestions and reviews are welcome. I'm also glad for any criticism, it can only help to make the story better.

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Chapter 3 _

**Several Years Ago**

**Santa Barbara, California**

Rogue thought the houses were absolutely beautiful. Every house in sight was constructed in the Spanish Colonial style. The river rat from Mississippi had been to other cities but she instantly fell in love with the white houses and their red tile roofs. It was a metropolis with the relaxed pace of a small southern town. Mystique called it the "American Riviera." Rogue, Mystique and Irene had come to Santa Barbara for a little down time. They were under the disguise of a loving family on vacation.

She was walking down the boulevard in the evening enjoying the fine weather and atmosphere. Nearby she heard someone singing. Her curiosity was raised and she wandered closer. She approached an open air café to find a young man playing the final stains of "Landslide." The guitarist finished the song and the crowd clapped. Rogue joined in the applause. The young man playing the guitar smiled and looked about the audience. His eyes met Rogue's.

He had shaggy hair and thick, masculine eyebrows. His brown eyes had a playful glint to them. He even had a soul patch. _Did he really expect to be taken seriously with that tired cliché_? He was wearing a fading Bad Religion shirt and fraying jeans. He tapped one of his scuffed boots as he shifted his weight and adjusted the capo on the neck of his guitar. "This next one is an original song. It doesn't have a title yet," he explained and strummed a couple of chords to check the tune.

He began playing the song. It was an instrumental with no lyrics. The original song he performed was much better than his rendition of Fleetwood Mac. He had done an alright job with that song, but Rogue thought he should stick to doing his own songs. It was as if there were words in the notes he played. He spoke to the audience without saying a word. He spoke to them through his fingers. Rogue remained there, at the edge of the crowd, until he finished his set.

**The Next Morning**

Rogue crept into the house in the early hours of the morning. She had opened the door with her key and tiptoed in, navigating her way through the darkened obstacle course of the house. She made her way safely and quietly to her room and closed the door behind her. She flicked on her light and jumped in surprise when she saw Mystique sitting in the chair next to her bed. "Welcome back," Mystique said.

"Mama, Ah'm sorry," Rogue said.

"Sorry? When you didn't come back I went out looking for you. I was worried," Mystique said, her face stern.

"You know Ah can take care of myself," Rogue protested, her youthful confidence getting the best of her.

"I know that Rogue, but we have many enemies out there. There are people out there that want to hurt us. To hurt you," Mystique said rising from the chair.

"Ah know that. Ah was just out having fun; you didn't have to worry," Rogue explained.

"Fun? What were you doing until six in the morning?" Mystique demanded.

Rogue looked down sheepishly. "Ah met a boy," she said grinning.

"A boy?" Mystique asked and clicked her tongue. "He must be quite a catch if you're out this late," she added smiling.

"Mama, he's finer than frog hair," Rogue explained looking up and smiling widely.

Mystique moved in and hugged Rogue. "Rogue, my heart, I love you but sometimes your colloquialisms are lost on me," Mystique explained looking Rogue in the eyes.

Rogue pulled away and swooned onto the bed and cried out, "He's a real hunk; that's what he is."

Mystique plopped down on the bed next to her foster-daughter. "Tell me, what is this fine young catch's name?" Mystique asked.

"Justice," Rogue replied with a smile as she hugged herself in an absurdly girlish way.

"That's an ironic turn. Rogue and Jusitce," Mystique chuckled. "So you're going to see him tomorrow?"

Rogue sat up quickly, "S'that okay with you?" Rogue asked.

"We're here to have a good time, so, of course," Mystique said stroking the back of Rogue's head.

Rogue hugged her, making sure not to make skin-to-skin contact, and said, "You're the best Mama in the whole world!"

**The Next Day**

Rogue and Justice were walking along the sidewalk and they both were eating ice-cream cones. They had spent most of the day together just walking around the city. Justice showed her the beach where they threw small stones into the surf as the gulls screeched and wheeled above them. They walked through the different shops and walked through the park.

"Ah've had the best time today," Rogue laughed as they sat down on the edge of a fountain in the middle of a shopping center.

Justice sat beside her, but he seemed detached. It was as if something was on his mind keeping him from the moment at hand. Rogue noticed this. As the day had progressed, he seemed to grow increasingly distant. "Somethin' wrong?" Rogue asked leaning forward, "You ain't havin' a good time?"

"No, I'm having fun. S'just that…" Justice said looking around. He finally met Rogue's gaze and replied, "There's something about me that you don't know."

"You can tell me anythin'," Rogue answered not realizing that she barely knew Justice and she was making a grand statement.

Justice looked around again and then led her to a store that sold musical instruments. They stood before a keyboard. He placed his fingers on the keys and said, "Watch this."

He played a few bars of "Fur Elise" then switched to "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". That was followed up by "The Rose" and "The Final Countdown". "Okay. You played a bunch of different songs," Rogue replied.

"I've never played the piano before," Justice said. When Rogue gave him an unimpressed look he sighed, "Pick anything in the store and I can play it."

A bit reluctantly Rogue walked down a couple of aisles and came across an autoharp. "Play this hotshot," she challenged.

Justice took a seat and set the instrument on his knee. He took a breath and then set his fingers to motion. After a moment, Rogue realized that he was playing "Auld Lang Syne". "Okay, Ah do have to admit that is impressive," Rogue offered.

"I've never played this thing before," he reassured her.

The shopkeeper walked over. "Do you need help?" he asked.

"No thanks," Justice replied to which the shopkeeper eyed them both carefully. He didn't want a couple of teenagers running amok in his store.

"Watch this," Justice whispered.

He began plucking the strings on the autoharp. It was a tune that Rogue didn't recognize. The song was relaxing. The tune was calm and the sound was clean. The song gave Rogue images of fresh fields and sunny days. It was then that she noticed that the shopkeeper wasn't looking as annoyed as he was earlier. He actually seemed happy to be there. The man walked back to his desk with a slight spring in his step. "Did you do that?" Rogue asked.

"I can do more than that," Justice answered looking relieved.

Rogue suddenly realized what this meant. Justice was a mutant. He had the ability to alter people's moods with music. "You made me talk to you last night," she accused suddenly.

Justice's face fell. "No! I swear I didn't. I just played something to make people donate a bit more scratch, but that's it. I swear," Justice pleaded.

Rogue looked at Justice. The playful glint in his eyes was overpowered by something that Rogue couldn't identify. Was it desperation? Anguish? _Love?_ "I believe you," she said.

For Rogue this was monumental. She was meeting another mutant her age. Sure, Blindspot was Rogue's age and they were the best of friends. But Blindspot was a girl mutant while Justice was a boy mutant; a not-so-bad-looking boy mutant.

Rogue and Justice had moved back to the fountain in the courtyard of the shopping center. "Have you ever thought about goin' for the big-time?" Rogue asked.

"You mean becoming famous?" Justice asked.

"You can play any instrument you want and you have the power of musical persuasion. I'd reckon most musicians would kill for that talent," Rogue explained excitedly.

"That's not the point of music really. It's about what you feel," Justice reasoned.

"Ain't it our place as mutants to step up and claim what's ours? With your powers you can move mountains. You can move people," Rogue offered.

"I guess I never really thought of it that way," Justice replied.

"It's true Justice. We're the next step. My Mama says…" Rogue started but she was cut off by Justice.

"_We're_ the next step? You're a…a mutant too?" he asked.

Rogue didn't even realize what she had said. "Yeah. Ah'm a mutant too. My powers are a bit more … hands-on than yours," she said.

"Show me," Justice urged.

Rogue was a little hesitant. "Show him Rogue," someone said nearby.

A blind woman, Destiny, was standing before them. "What are you doing here?" Rogue asked worriedly as she stood quickly.

"Do you know her Rogue?" Justice asked standing as well.

"Raven may be in danger unless you go help her," Destiny instructed Rogue.

Rogue looked back and forth between Destiny and Justice. "Justice, do you trust me? Ah know we just met and that's a lot to ask, but do you trust me?" she pleaded.

"Um…okay, uh yeah. I trust you Rogue," he stammered not knowing what was happening.

"Promise you'll meet me here tomorrow," she said.

"I promise. Is there something I can do to help?" Justice asked.

"Let me borrow your powers," Rogue said quickly.

Before Justice could ask anything else, Rogue kissed him on the lips. His powers and memories drained into her. Justice fell limp and Rogue caught him and strained slightly against his weight. She placed him on a bench nearby. "I'll be here tomorrow," Rogue said to Justice even though he was unconscious.

**Present Day**

"You never came back," Justice said.

"Ah'm sorry Justice. We left Santa Barbara that night. Some things happened that Ah didn't have any control over," Rogue explained. She had completely forgotten about everything that happened over those couple of days in Santa Barbara. She was quickly recalling all the events of those two days.

"If you're friends with Justice, you must come to one of our meetings!" Craig said smiling.

"You're goin' nowhere Craig. You're not gonna sell any more MGH now," Sam replied.

"Those days are behind me, friends. I don't do any of that anymore; not since I've joined the Order of the Highest Light," Craig explained.

"Huh?" Rogue asked.

"He's right Rogue. The Order can turn your life around. It turned Craig on the right path and it set my steps away from the self destruction that you inspired," Justice explained.

"What did Ah do?" Rogue wondered.

"When you never showed, I was upset. I thought we had a connection, but we had only known each other for two days. After that, I decided to reveal my mutation to my family. They rejected me for being a _freak_. Only, I wasn't a freak was I? I had the ability to move people, as you said. I made my family love me again. I made sure they would never _not_ love me," Justice explained.

His face was as calm as ever. "My powers did something to them. I didn't notice at first. I rewrote something inside them that wasn't supposed to be changed. They slowly deteriorated until there was nothing left but an empty, drooling shell."

"Justice, Ah'm sorry 'bout your family, but you don't really blame me for that do you?" Rogue asked.

Justice went on to explain that hurting his family was just the first step on a tragic downward spiral. He felt there was no turning back after that. He used his powers to make people love his music. Justice learned that the messages that he impressed upon people with music couldn't be recorded; his powers only worked with live music. He signed a record contract. Justice had become a millionaire. He used his powers to commit almost every conceivable act of hedonistic debauchery.

Then there was M-Day.

Justice lost his powers to sway the actions of others as well as the ability to play virtually any instrument. It also turned out that all of his musical talent was dependent upon his powers. People found that he was a hack. His entourage split up and Justice quickly went broke due to his dependence on his powers. "I lived on the street until I found my new life with the Order," Justice concluded.

"Sorry, but Rogue what are we gonna do with him?" Sam asked jerking his thumb toward Craig.

Rogue was torn. She wasn't quite sure what to do. According to Justice, she was inadvertently the cause of the destruction of his family. She quickly shifted her attention to Craig. She edged toward him menacingly. "Where's the mutant growth hormone?" she demanded.

"I no longer have any attachments to my previous life; be it drugs or money," Craig said calmly.

"You're sayin' you just flushed 500 doses of MGH or something?" Sam asked.

"Upon entrance into the Order, we tithe all our possessions to sever ties with our previous life. We give all we have for the benefit of the Order," Craig explained.

"Sugah, sounds like you signed up for an evangelist money scheme," Rogue hissed.

"I can assure you, the Order is not like that," Justice added quickly.

"That's what all the cult members say," Sam said with a sad grin.

Rogue spoke into her communicator, "Karima? Set out the guest towels. We're bringin' company."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or any of the names associated with Marvel or any of the pop culture references I make herein. This is just for fun and I am getting no monetary gain from this.

Rating: Teen for some violence, maybe some language and death later on.

Author's Note: I'd like to thank RoguefanAM, and 1thescorpion2. Also a shout out to the guys at TWN for reading as well. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. If you see any glaring mistakes let me know. Suggestions and reviews are welcome.

XXXXXX

_Chapter 4_

**The Next Evening**

**Los Angeles County Museum of Art**

Lady Mastermind snatched up a glass of champagne as the waiter in the thin tuxedo passed by. She drained the glass in one gulp and dropped it into a large fern. "Regan, we're not here to get sauced," Sam warned.

"Samuel, we're at a party. They expect us to get drunk," she protested.

"This is an art gala, not a frat house kegger," Cannonball shot back. "Ever hear of discretion?"

"Don't worry. No one will ever suspect a thing. My illusion is flawless," she said spying another waiter across the exhibit.

"I still find it hard to believe this guy is straight," Cannonball said.

"He's a _metrosexual_, so straight is a very loose term," Regan explained. "Besides I wanted to be Branjelina. At least they're trying to save the world one adoption at a time."

Regan grabbed a passing champagne and took a long drink and smacked her lips. "I'm sure we've done charity. We're pretty famous right?" Sam asked.

"Were _you_ the one in the coma?" Regan huffed. "We are masquerading as the most famous couple outside the United States. _You_ might just show America that soccer is the planet's favorite past-time while _I_ am no-talent arm-candy. Just relax sweetness; I've got things under control. I'll try to find you a Bud Light or something."

_Sweetness?_ Sam thought. What was she getting at? "Look, here he comes. Cable and Rogue just want us to feel the guy out and see what he's like. They knew he wouldn't talk to us unless we were celebrities," Sam said quickly.

"Of course not. Every cult needs a figurehead and he thinks he just found his," Regan explained.

A man was striding toward them with a winning smile and his hands outstretched. He clasped Sam's hand in both of his. "David," he said and turned to Regan and kissed her hand. "Victoria. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Edmond de Marque," the man explained.

"We've been looking forward to speaking with you," Sam said smiling as he sized up the man.

Mr. de Marque was in his mid forties. He wore his hair short and sophisticated. His white suit was smart and very fashion-forward. His blue eyes were warm and friendly. Edmond looked like your best friend's dad and carried an air of charisma. Edmond's voice was deep and masculine. Behind him, Sam caught a glimpse of a thin girl, about fifteen years old, in a simple white dress. "Where is my head?" Edmond laughed. "This is my daughter, Lily."

Lily de Marque was a thin wisp of a girl. She was hauntingly beautiful with dark hair contrasting against her ivory skin. Her eyes seemed weary, however. There was a tragedy hiding within those eyes. The X-Men had all been briefed about it.

Six years ago Lily's mother, Sonia, died when she was suddenly stricken with a cancer that had ravaged her entire body. It was after that tragic ordeal that Mr. de Marque founded his new church, the Order of the Highest Light, as a beacon of hope for the weary of the world.

Edmond talked to Sam and Regan while Lily remained stoic by his flank. They talked about "David's" family adjusting to the move to Los Angeles. After all, Mr. de Marque felt strongly that the foundations of a stable life came from a healthy home environment. That segued to an invitation to the church of the Order. "That would be lovely," Regan cooed. "We're trying to make friends here in America. People we can trust and enjoy."

With the word "enjoy", Regan gave a devilish wink. Mr. de Marque cleared his throat and handed a business card to Sam. "It would be wonderful for you to join soon. We are nearing three thousand members. It will be a monumental occasion, but I will look forward to seeing you again. Enjoy the gala," he said and then walked away with his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"So how does he feel out?" Regan asked.

"He's a wonderful family man. He's so squeaky-clean I can't help but _not_ trust him," Sam explained.

As they made their way across the gallery Regan snatched another drink. She briefly closed her eyes and smiled as she walked. She was beginning to feel…good. "You know, in public this guy isn't going to do anything funny. We could go ahead and get out of here," Cannonball suggested.

"You kidding me? And miss out on the party?" Regan laughed causing her drink to slosh around in the glass.

"We should really get back to the others and see what they've come up with," he said. He didn't know how Regan's illusions would hold up when she was drunk.

Lady Mastermind leaned her head on Cannonball's shoulder and batted her eyes playfully at him. "Spoilsport. You never have any fun. Someone would think you're a Summers brother," she pouted.

"Bit harsh, dont'cha think?" Sam asked with laugh.

"Samuel, I am _ever_ the lady," she replied daintily and in one deft motion she snatched up another flute and drained it of its alcohol.

**The Conquistador **

Rogue stood over Cable's shoulder as he scanned through the Info-Net for information on Edmond de Marque and his organization. Mystique stood to the side with her arms crossed. "Rogue, really? This man is just a shyster. He tricks people out of their time and money. It's not like he's targeting mutants," Mystique chided.

Rogue looked over to Mystique and relied, "We're a team for the benefit of all man-kind; human and mutant alike. If he's a fraud, and Ah have a good feelin' he is, we'll shut him down."

Mystique sighed and said, "Nathan, you agree with me don't you? We could just call Interpol or the Better Business Bureau to investigate him. If we go after him, it'd be like killing a gnat with a sledge hammer."

"Don't ever assume that you and I share an opinion Mystique," Cable answered gruffly. "Besides, from what Craig said he donated all of his MGH to the Order. According to the information I've come up with, the Order sells all of the donations and tithes for charity. Our original mission was to track down all the dealers and the MGH. Right now, we don't know if the order still has the MGH or not."

"So we follow up to make sure our original mission is complete," Mystique replied.

"Exactly. We ain't goin' to leave any loose ends this time 'round," Rogue confirmed.

They turned their attention back to the monitor that Cable was working on. The church of the Order of the Highest Light was founded in Los Angeles over six years ago. The property where the church stood was once the site of a theater house. The theater was known not for its plays but for the fact that it had caught fire six times. The old theater was torn down and while the church was being constructed, Edmond de Marque held his meetings and services in a recreation center to a slowly growing congregation. The practices and beliefs of the Order were not publicly known. One C-List actor had said that the Order was devoted to self-sacrifice and public service when he was accosted by reporters for donating his property to the Order and move to a minimalist apartment that he began to share with four other Order members.

"There was underground excavation during the construction of the church," Cable said suddenly.

"How extensive was it?" Rogue asked.

"I can't tell. I can only find the complaints levied by nearby apartment complexes. There was no formal investigation into the complaints," he explained.

"If people were complainin' there musta been something wrong," Rogue said. "Ah'm gonna have a word with Justice."

Mystique sighed. She felt a pang of regret for what had happened in Santa Monica those years ago. That whole mess was essentially her fault. Rogue might've had something special if it weren't for her.

**Several Years Ago**

**Santa Barbara, California**

Mystique strolled down the avenue with her hands in her pockets. She was in the guise of the middle-aged man who was renting a fabulous house with his family. They were in Santa Barbara under the pretense that they were on vacation. Mystique was actually there because she had been commissioned to steal a set of files from an office in the city. They weren't very important files, something dealing with stocks and business plans; a rival company trying their hand at espionage or something. It didn't exactly fit into her repertoire but the deal seemed almost too good to be true. The job seemed simple enough and she was sure that she could handle it alone. Besides, Rogue needed a little vacation. She was a teenaged girl and needed to experience things normal girls did as much as her powers would allow.

Mystique walked to the door of the office and the doorman swung the door open for her. She walked casually toward the receptionist's desk. "I have an appointment with Herbert Wheeler. I'm David Raven," Mystique said.

The girl behind the desk looked over the schedule and replied, "Yes. Mr. Wheeler is expecting you. Have a seat and I'll let you know when he's ready."

"I was just wondering where your restroom was?" Mystique asked.

"Right through those doors sir," the girl answered.

Mystique gave a nod and headed through the doors and down a hallway. She would find the files and then disappear without a trace. This would be a piece of cake.

After changing her form to that of an elderly cleaning woman she passed in the hallway, Mystique made her way to the office of her target, Glen Hebler. She padded down the hallway stopped in front of the door. Her reconnaissance from the day before told her that Mr. Hebler would be out to lunch. She made it appear as if she were polishing the doorknob and the doorframe when she was really picking the lock to the door. With just a flick of her wrist she was in.

She closed the door behind her and slid into the chair behind the computer. Her fingers flew over the keys. Her hacking skills were in peak condition and all the encryptions crumbled before her. She inserted a disk into the drive and began to copy the appropriate files. With a satisfied click of her tongue she ejected the disk. She retrieved her cleaning cloth and bottle of polish and opened the door. Standing before her was a hallway full of armed guards covered with body armor. "You're ahead of schedule mutant," the lead guard sneered.

Mystique realized she had been set up. The job had been too good to be true. She had been in the game so long she had grown over-confident. She was not going to be taken without a fight.

She flung the bottle of polish at guard in the front. It smacked him in the face and he reeled slightly sending a spray of rubber bullets across the room. Mystique leaped and then rolled over the desk with an agility that the elderly cleaning lady hadn't seen in at least forty years. "Careful! She's to be taken alive! Switch to tazers just in case!" the leader barked.

"Too bad I can't say the same," Mystique whispered softly. She popped up suddenly, as the men were holstering their guns and pulling out the long black cattle prods, brandishing automatic pistols. She shot the front row of guards in the knee caps sending them to the floor.

A wave of guards poured into the office with their cattle prods ready for an attack. Mystique violently flipped the desk over catching some of the men off guard and instantly reverted to her normal form. She surged forward and jumped onto the overturned desk and then leaped into the air. She kicked two men in the neck and shot two others in the chest. They stumbled but they were still in the fight. They're armor was going to take more than what her pistols could dish out.

Mystique landed amongst a flurry of cattle prods. She bent over backwards to avoid one swing only to have to roll to the side to avoid another. She rushed forward and kicked one man in the groin. Apparently, they didn't wear armor there. His knees buckled and she pulled his helmet down over his face. She pushed the doubled over guard aside and tried to make her way toward the door.

One of the rods came down on her left arm. She cried out in pain as her arm went numb, dropping her pistol. She head butted that guard, shattering his goggles. She climbed up on his shoulder and tried to vault over the next guard and make her way to the door. There were just too many guards in the room and there were more in the hall waiting to get in on the action.

Mystique's body seized when she was struck from behind by a prod to her back. She dropped to the floor but refused to give in. She pushed herself up with one good arm. She thought the electric jolt had jarred her senses because she thought Rogue was screaming at the men. She then heard the most soulful harmonica song ever. It was the blues. It was full of heartache and despair. It was enough to make you want to give up.

Mystique was suddenly jarred awake by Rogue. "Mama! We have to get out of here!"

Mystique leaned on Rogue's shoulder. "What are you doing here? What did you do?" she asked her daughter weakly.

"Destiny found me and told me to come here. Ah borrowed Justice's powers and swiped the harmonica from a street performer," Rogue explained.

"Your boy has powers?" Mystique said with a chuckle.

"Ah just found out too, Mama," Rogue said.

They hurried across the lobby of the office building. Mystique saw the receptionist and several other guards lying passed out on the floor. She didn't know how Rogue did that but it didn't matter. They had to get out of there.

They met Destiny back at the rented house. Mystique hobbled quickly to Destiny and embraced her. "Are you hurt?" she demanded.

"I am fine. I've packed all of our things," Destiny announced.

"Good. We have to leave now. I was set up," Mystique explained. "Sorry to cut the vacation short, Rogue. They could be coming here right now."

Rogue bit her lip and looked worried. She desperately wanted to meet with Justice again but knew that was impossible now. "What is it?" Mystique demanded.

"Nothin' that Ah'm gonna cry over," Rogue said after a pause.

"That's my girl," Mystique said rubbing Rogue's head.

**The Conquistador**

Justice had been in the X-Men's custody for just over a day. He knew they had no reason to hold him. He was not a criminal, he had done nothing wrong. Most of the time he sat alone in the room that he was provided. He was utterly calm. He didn't panic when it was announced that Craig had been taken by the robot woman and the ice man to the police. He overheard the blonde woman call him "emotionally castrated." He didn't even care about that.

Justice hadn't even been interrogated yet. They took him aboard the ship and placed him in a room. They had questions for him; why else would they be keeping him? Rogue would have questions for him.

Rogue entered his room with a tray of food. It was the first time she had come to see him since his internment. Normally, the Southern man brought his food. "Ah thought you would be gettin' hungry 'bout this time," Rogue said.

"Thank you," Justice replied.

Justice took the tray and placed nearby on the table. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked.

"Earlier," Rogue replied.

"I was going to share with you," he said and began to eat.

Rogue sat in a chair across the room. She didn't speak for a few moments. Justice was almost finished with his meal when he said, "You wonder if I _really _blamed you for my downward spiral? You kept me here mostly because of that reason rather than any information I may know."

"That's about the long an' short of it," Rogue replied.

"Yes. For the longest time I blamed you. I have to admit, you swept me off my feet Rogue. I could have seen myself with you for the rest of my life. The first kiss we shared left me unconscious," he explained.

_Not the first time that's happened_, Rogue thought grimly. _Not the last either._

"Your advice to embrace my powers left me without a family. Your advice to use my powers to take my place in the world left me empty. Everything I did was to try and fill that hole in my heart. So, yes I blame you," he said. "But I also forgive you."

"What?" Rogue asked incredulously.

"That is all in the past. Through the teachings of the Order, I have learned to forgive you. Harboring hatred and blame disrupts the flow of positive energy," he said.

"What else do you do in the Order?" Rogue asked.

"In the Order we believe that the world we see is not actually the way the world is. The world, the universe around us, is really an intricate web of interlocking energies. We only see the physical manifestation of these energies because our minds are too feeble to comprehend the vastness of the energies. We ourselves are not physical beings but rather creatures of pure energy. Our main goal in life is to obtain the purest energy we can. We practice a series of exercises and mediations to raise our energy. By helping others and releasing ourselves of physical possessions raises our energies," Justice explained. "We have other beliefs…" 

"That's okay, Ah don't need the whole spiel," Rogue replied.

"I know it is a bit hard to digest at first. Mr. de Marque makes everything clear. You should really speak with him. He will change your life. He is a visionary," Justice suggested.

"Ah'm sure he is," Rogue mumbled but then said louder, "Ah've got to get back to the others. Ah'll be back later Justice."

Rogue stood and began to walk to the door.

"I know how it looks Rogue. We practice something unorthodox and it is not well known what we do. There are rumors. There are people who ridicule us. We do good works. I have given away all but my necessities and what I donated was sold for charity. People have been helped because of that. Even when I was addicted to drugs and women, I have never felt so good, so satisfied. You wonder why I could follow this man, maybe I should wonder why you do not," Justice said.

Rogue turned from the door and looked sadly to Justice. "Ah've come to think, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is."

Rogue walked down the corridor and made her way back to the _Conquistador's_ control room. Cable was still at the panel accessing his info-net. "Did you learn anything?" he asked.

"The Order needs to be taken down," she said.

Regan Wyngarde was sitting in her bed watching late night infomercials. She drank a lot of champagne at the gala, but not enough to knock her out. It was just the right amount to make her giddy and keep her awake. One of the great things about living on the _Conquistador_ was that it could monitor virtually any television station. Unfortunately for her, at that hour there was nothing interesting in a language she could understand.

She looked around her room. The living conditions were almost Spartan. Being in a coma for over a year does not breed affluence. Regan was so bored that she almost wished she had a book to read. Just as she reached for her light switch there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she called.

Sam poked his head into the room. "I saw the light under the door," he said.

"Don't worry. I'm not even close to tired," she replied.

Cannonball stepped into the room. He was wearing blue pajama pants and a tank top. Regan unconsciously ran her tongue across her teeth. "I just wanted to say that I had a good time at the gala; even if we were impersonating other people," he said.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Regan responded with a grin.

"It was nice seein' a different side of you. Ya know, not in a battle or anythin'," he added as he closed the door behind him.

"Why Mr. Guthrie you can see any side of me you'd like," she said coyly.

He looked a little awkward in the moment. He traced his hand across the desk. He looked around. Was he sad that she didn't have anything in her quarters? Was he upset that she didn't seem to have anything in the world. He stepped across the small room and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her.

"This is hard for me to say. I'm not used to expressin' my feelin's. I was raised to be a man. I'm not s'posed to let things get to me," Sam explained.

"Just spit it out," Regan sighed.

"I think I'm fallin' for you," he confessed.

She looked at him for a moment. Her eyes were reading his face. "Saddle up cowboy!" she exclaimed.

Sam lunged forward and grabbed her face, kissing her passionately. She held him tightly as they fell backward. They were together on the bed kissing for a few moments when Regan pulled away from him and sighed.

"Sumthin' wrong lover?" Sam asked.

"It's not the same when I know its fake," she said sadly.

The illusion of Sam Guthrie kissed its fingers and pressed them to her lips. Without another word, it faded away. Once again, Regan Wyngarde was alone in her quarters.

**Somewhere Dark**

Edmond de Marque sat in utter darkness. He was stripped to the waist and sat cross-legged with his hands resting on his knees. His breath was slow and steady. His mind was clear. He was meditating. Suddenly, a single candle before him flickered to life.

"Everything is almost complete," Edmond said.

"You've done well," said a deep from the edge of the darkness.

"I've done all that you've asked of me, but there is one problem," Edmond replied.

"That problem is of no concern. The blessing you've been given has been beneficial then?" the Voice asked.

"Thank you. Yes. Thank you. I've never seen so clearly," Edmond said quickly. "Should I take care of everything? If something happens at the ceremony, all this work…"

"Yes. Eliminate the problem. If you complete the ceremony properly, then your wife will be returned to you as if nothing had ever happened to her," the Voice instructed.

"Thank you. I will not let anything interfere. I will have my wife back," Edmond de Marque declared.


End file.
